Flexible access system for touch screen devices

• US 6,049,328 A
• Filed: 02/28/1996
• Issued: 04/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (University of Wisconsin System)
• Original Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (University of Wisconsin System)
• Inventors: Vanderheiden, Gregg C.
• Primary Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US08/608,370
• Time in Patent Office: 1,504 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/174, 345/175, 345/176, 345/177, 345/178, 345/156, 345/157, 395/358, 341/21, 341/27, 434/116
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/00 Teaching, or communicating with, the blind, deaf or mute audible presentation of material to be studied G09B5/04; devices or methods for replacing direct visual or auditory perception by another kind of perception A61F9/08, A61F11/04; audible indication of meter readings or of colour G01D7/12; watches for blind persons G04B25/02; speech analysis, speech recognition G10L; sound-recording or reproducing, per se G11B

Abstract

A touch screen system for people with disabilities provides an access screen presenting multiple paths of communication and multiple methods of input for a variety of disabilities. People with disabilities communicating with this access screen configure the touch screen for their particular communication needs, allowing use of the touch screen efficiently both for individuals with disabilities and for individuals without disabilities. Individuals with occasional difficulty in interpreting written legends on particular virtual buttons may use a distinct access button to provide an augmented legend for those buttons on an "as needed" basis.

Claims

1. A touch screen for those with reduced ability to interpret visual expressions comprising:

an electronic display screen having a smooth display area without spatially distinguishing tactile landmarks;

a touch panel commensurate with the display area and providing a coordinate output indicating only a presence or absence of touch points in the display area;

an access button positioned at a predetermined fixed location to be actuated by the user to enable an access mode;

audio circuitry for generating speech in response to electrical commands from an electronic processor;

an electronic processor communicating with the electronic display screen, the touch panel, and the access button and executing a stored program to;

(a) display on the electronic display screen a set of virtual buttons, the buttons having graphical boundaries and a graphical legend and locations different from the location of the access button;

(b) when the access mode is not enabled and when a touch point is detected within a boundary of a virtual button, the electronic processor executing a program action associated with the virtual button; and

(c) when the access mode is enabled and when a touch point is detected within the boundary of the virtual button, the electronic processor outputting via the audio circuitry a spoken representation of the information of the graphical legend of the virtual button easier for the user to interpret.

2. The touch screen of claim 1 wherein the graphical legend is text and wherein the alternative representation of the graphical legend is the text of the graphical legend translated into a different language.

3. The touch screen of claim 1 wherein the alternative representation is a description of a graphical legend.

4. The touch screen of claim 1 wherein the alternative representation is an elaboration on text of the graphical legend.

5. The touch screen of claim 1 wherein the access button is a physical push-button switch.

6. A touch screen device comprising:

an electronic display screen having a display area;

a touch panel commensurate with the display area and providing a coordinate output indicating a touch point in the display area;

an access button positioned in a predetermined fixed location to be actuated by the user while viewing the touch screen;

audio circuitry for generating speech in response to electrical commands from an electronic processor

an electronic processor communicating with the electronic display screen, the touch panel, and the audio circuitry and executing a stored program to;

(a) display on the screen a set of virtual buttons associated with different problems of communicating with the touch screen, the virtual buttons having written labels denoting those problems;

(b) sequentially highlighting the virtual buttons under control of the stored program;

(c) in coordination with the sequential highlighting of the virtual buttons, commanding the audio circuitry to announce the problem denoted on the label;

(d) synchronously with the sequential highlighting of the virtual buttons, detecting an actuation of the access button; and

(e) modifying the operation of the touch screen according to the button being highlighted while the access button was pressed;

wherein step (b) highlights the button by printing a message on the display screen indicating that the access button should be now pressed.

7. The touch screen of claim 6 wherein the virtual buttons are arranged in a line with their sensitive areas extending fully across the screen and wherein the sequencing of step (b) follows a touchpoint of a person drawing a finger in a line across the virtual buttons.

8. The touch screen of claim 6 wherein step (b) sequentially highlights the button according to a predetermined time interval.